Lord, Teach Us To Pray
(Luke 11:1)

An Exposition of "The Lord's Prayer"

Part 3 of 3

By Harold Camping

"And forgive us our debts"

At least three words are commonly used in the New Testament to signify "sin," including the word "debt." We are debtors to God because we have sinned. The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). There is a penalty that we must pay to God for our sins, and that payment is eternal damnation. When we pray, "forgive us our debts," effectively, we are praying, "O God, have mercy on me. I'm a sinner. Will you pay the penalty that I rightly deserve to pay?"
The Lord Jesus came to endure hell on our behalf. He came to ransom us from the power of the grave, from eternal damnation, from the wrath of God.

"As we forgive our debtors"

The Lord's Prayer is focused on God our Savior until this phrase, which could be a bellwether or indicator as to where we stand before Christ.
The unsaved can be bitter, resentful, and angry if they believe they have been wronged by another person's word or deed. The reason is because mankind by nature is egotistical and proud.
When God calls us, He effectively says, if you pray and acknowledge God as your Savior, and there is resentment in your heart for some individual whom you cannot love, then examine your heart. You do not know what salvation is.
When we have resentment, we have to ask, "Am I born again? How can I expect God to forgive me if I continue with this unforgiven relationship?" The phrase "As we forgive our debtors," therefore, is a reminder to examine ourselves to determine whether we are truly saved.

"And lead us not into temptation"

The word "lead" here is "bring," and ought to be translated, "bring me not into temptation." Satan is the tempter; the word tempter and the word temptation are the same Greek word.
Does "bring me not into temptation" mean, "Oh, Lord bring me along so that I will not be tempted by Satan"? The problem with that conclusion is James 1:2, "My bretheren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations" (same word), and James 1:12, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." God is saying it is a blessing, something to be joyful about, when Satan tempts you.
We read in I Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." God is saying it is normative for the believer to walk in the path of temptation. Therefore, "bring me not into temptation" cannot be understood to mean "bring me not into a situation in which I am tempted of Satan." The solution to understanding this phrase is found when we substitute the word "trial" for "temptation." Of course, in every temptation we are being tried, but there is a trial, which every human being must face because of sins.
Another usage of the word "temptation," is found in Revelation 3:10, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation [same word], which shall come upon all the world, to try [same word] them that dwell upon the earth." This verse, too, should be translated "the hour of trial."
God is talking about judgment Day. Just as the man who is suspected of committing a crime is brought to trial, so, too, the unsaved are going to be tried and to be tested, at the Judgment Seat of God. Because there is none righteous, they will be found guilty and cast into hell. That is the "trial" we desperately wish to avoid as we pray, "bring me not into trial."
Born-again believers do not come into that hour of trial; we do not have to stand before the Judgment Throne of God because we have already been tried; we stood before the Judgment Throne of God when Christ stood before Pilate. Christ had become sin for us (II Corinthians 5:21); Christ has already given an account of all the sins of believers.
When Satan comes to tempt you through the circumstances around you, he is trying you to discover whether you are going to remain faithful to God or whether he can get you to sin.
God never comes with that kind of temptation. God tempts no man to evil. James 1:13, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." Sometimes God will remove His hand of restraint from us, and we will go deeper into sin, but He would never cause us to sin.
The unsaved will be brought, not led, into trial. Christ is coming as the Judge, and every eye shall see Him, and every one of the unsaved is going to give an account of his sins.

"Deliver us from evil"

The word "evil" here can be understood as Satan, as sin, and as the wrath to come. Before we are saved, we are in bondage to Satan, and we are in bondage to sin. These are the terrible evils to which every human is enslaved.
But in addition we are under the wrath of God. The judgment of God is a terrible evil that man is under because God's perfect justice demands full payment for sin. Therefore, the prayer "deliver us from evil" is also a prayer for salvation. To become saved is to be set free from bondage to sin and Satan and to be delivered from the wrath of God.

"For thing is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

The Lord's Prayer concludes with this marvelous doxology. The focal point is on God: "Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed by thy name," then the focal point shifts to God's salvation program in the world and in my heart, which is all through Christ.
The Lord's Prayer, is a magnificent prayer for mankind who desperately needs salvation. Jesus tells us how to pray. We are dead in our sins, and we are destined for hell. Christ in this beautiful prayer says come to God about salvation, and in this petition, in this prayer, we see salvation. And we see that all of the glory throughout eternity goes to God. Praise God for His wonderful salvation!